CHAPTER 499: WHEN ‘JUST CHECKING IN’ TURNS INTO RUMOURS

Micah pressed the doorbell and took a step back, rocking lightly on his heels as he waited for the sound of footsteps inside.

After a few seconds, the door flew open with a loud creak, revealing Nora. "Handsome brother!" she chirped, grinning from ear to ear.

Micah blinked, his lips twitching despite himself. "Little sis, I do have a name, you know. Call me Brother Micah, or even older brother, anything but that."

Nora made a face, scrunching her nose. "No way. Then what about my big brother? He will be upset!" She folded her arms, huffing.

"I am older than him," Micah said, then lifted his hand to his mouth, pretending to whisper a secret behind it. "Even your big brother has softened enough to call me that once or twice, you know."

Nora raised a sceptical brow. "I am not that gullible. My big brother would never do that."

Micah grinned, shrugging his hands. "You’d be surprised..."

Flora’s voice came from inside, cutting whatever Micah wanted to say. "Nora, sweetheart, why are you standing there?"

Nora gestured for Micah to come inside.

Micah stepped through the doorway, bending down to switch his shoes for slippers.

Flora came into view from the kitchen, wiping her hands with a dish towel. "Micah, what brings you here? I thought you guys had gone back to Ramsy’s mansion."

Micah scratched his cheek and gave a sheepish smile. "Nah, Darcy is buried in his studies and his project again. I just wanted to check on you guys, make sure everything’s alright."

Flora let out a gentle hum, the corner of her mouth curling. "That’s kind of you," she said, walking back toward the kitchen counter. "In that case, bring these dishes upstairs. And tell that stubborn son of mine to take a break before he studies himself sick."

Micah followed her gaze to the containers she was packing. He laughed nervously. "Thanks. Don’t worry, I’ll do that." He turned toward Nora. "So, have you decided on the furniture yet? How do you want to decorate your room?"

Nora waved her hand quickly. "No. I already love how everything looks. It’s perfect as it is."

Micah opened his mouth to insist more, but Flora cut in. "Seriously, we are happy with everything. You don’t need to worry about us." She gestured toward the countertop with her spatula. "Here. I got a little too excited after seeing all the new kitchen equipment, so I ended up making more food than I meant to."

Micah’s heart warmed. He reached over to take the containers. "Alright. But really...Let me know if you need anything. Don’t be polite with me, okay?" He flashed them a warm smile.

"Okay. Okay." Flora shooed him away. "Now go on before everything gets cold."

Micah said his farewell and left the apartment.

As soon as the door closed, Flora suddenly giggled.

Nora looked at her suspiciously. "Mum, why are you laughing like that? It’s creepy." She rubbed her arms. "You’re giving me goosebumps."

Flora shook her head. "You wouldn’t understand."

She went back to tidy up the kitchen, humming softly. Her eyes glimmered with amusement as she thought of the way Micah and Darcy behaved around each other lately, awkward, warm, and teasing. They reminded her of newlyweds trying too hard to act casual. But it came as a surprise to her. She thought Darcy would be... she quickly pushed away her indecent thoughts. Still, she couldn’t help noticing the faint red marks peeking above Micah’s collar earlier. That made her imagination run wild again. She chuckled, shaking her head.

Nora looked at her mother, shivering. Her mother’s mood had improved a lot since they moved here. Especially after noticing how Darcy and Micah got along. She’d started singing, dancing, and laughing while cooking. The crying and gloomy air had vanished.

Nora was glad. Maybe things were finally starting to look up.

*****

Micah returned to his own apartment with several containers in his hands. Clyde opened the door for him after a knock.

As he raised his eyebrow, a teasing smile crept across Clyde’s face. "Well, well. What is this? You look like a new bride bringing food from her mother’s house..."

Micah stomped his foot on Clyde’s. "Shut up," he muttered and strode past him.

Clyde laughed, unbothered, and followed him inside.

Micah carried the containers straight into the kitchen, opening the fridge door with his elbow. "How is Darcy?" he asked as he began carefully stacking the containers inside.

"Still in bed. Don’t worry about him." Clyde replied. "By the way..."

Micah paused and turned toward him.

Clyde hesitated, his usual composure faltering for a second. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. He wanted to ask about the diving incident, wanted to ask if Micah really had developed a phobia like Darcy said, but blurting it out now didn’t feel right. The silver-haired young man in front of him was smiling, relaxed. Bringing up trauma would only dampen his mood.

He sighed through his nose. Maybe he would ask Darcy to talk to Micah about it.

"I have an update about that black fan case," he said instead.

Micah’s expression sharpened slightly. "Who? You mean Azalea?"

Clyde nodded. "Yeah. She contacted my lawyer and handed over everything she remembered. My IT team also managed to pull the CCTV footage. Luckily, it wasn’t too long ago. So there was still evidence left. Either that manager was careless, or he didn’t think someone like her would dare to dig it up. Either way, with that evidence, that manager is done for."

Micah’s shoulders relaxed. "Good. Thanks," he said softly. "That was supposed to be my responsibility, but with everything that’s been going on... I’m glad you took care of it."

Clyde studied him for a second. "What do you plan to do about Leo?" he asked through gritted teeth, forcing himself not to show his hatred for Leo McKay.

If it were up to him, Clyde would’ve made use of this opportunity and gotten rid of Leo, that film emperor bastard, for good.

But this was Micah’s choice. And after how their past lives had ended in failure, Clyde no longer had the confidence to go after those four without risking losing Micah again.